new bus added to the fleet thanks to a generous grant from kraft

CYO Marquee
“Serving Mercer County Youth Since 1952”
Mercer County CYO Newsletter
Fall/Winter 2006
Volume 12 Issue 2
NEW BUS ADDED TO THE
FLEET THANKS TO A GENEROUS
GRANT FROM KRAFT
GRANT FROM KRAFT
RECEIVED TO TEACH HEALTHY
LIFESTYLES
A $40,000 grant, from Kraft Employee Fund (KEF) Northeast was
recently awarded to the CYO, allowing us to update our transportation
service fleet, by purchasing a 24 passenger Mini-Bus.
The timing of the grant couldn't have been better, as the CYO is
scheduled to retire their first bus which was purchased in 1996, and is
legally required to be off the roads. The new bus will primarily serve
the Yardville Branch with use for the Day Camp, After School Program,
Teen Travel Camp, Holiday Camps, and Pre-School field trips.
The Kraft Employee Fund Northeast is a workplace-giving
program supported by contributions from Kraft employees across the
Northeast area. Kraft Foods, in showing its support, makes annual
financial contributions to the Fund, and absorbs 100% of its administrative costs. The KEF 2006 grant program awarded more than
$776,000 to twenty-four community benefit organizations, including
CYO, in the focus areas of Elder Services, Healthy Lifestyles, Hunger
& Youth Development.
The CYO was recently awarded a $25,000 grant, from Kraft
Foods, to implement the Salsa, Sabor y Salud Healthy Lifestyles
Program. This grant is part of Kraft's commitment to help
communities around the world address health and wellness concerns.
Kraft provides support to non-profit organizations that help children
and their families improve their physical activity and awareness of
nutritional practices.
Salsa, Sabor y Salud, a national best-practice program for
reaching Latino
families,
has
been designed
by the National
Latino Children's
Institute (NLCI) in
collaboration
with Kraft Foods,
and is a culturally
based eight-session curriculum
developed
to
help families
create healthier Pictured are some of our Trenton Pre-School
l i f e s t y l e s . families that are participating in "Salsa Sabor y
Curriculum kits, Salud" led by, CYO staffers Gloribee Pica, Ramona
staff training, and Jimenez, and Carmen Lanning.
program assistance are all provided through the Kraft Grant.
Two CYO staff members, Donna Zolnierzak and Gloribee Pica,
recently attended the national training session in San Antonio, Texas,
to prepare the CYO to implement this program, as the number of
Latino families served by the CYO continues to grow. Other agencies
receiving this grant were from Miami, Chicago and Los Angeles.
CYO is launching its first Salsa series this Fall, with Trenton
Center pre-school families as the initial participants. CYO plans
additional program series, throughout the year, for other CYO and
community families.
CYO Campers pose in front of the new Mini-Bus purchased by the CYO
through the Grant from Kraft Foods.
PRUDENTIAL FOUNDATION'S
GRANT FOR YOUTH INITIATIVE
The CYO recently received a $5,000.00 Prudential Foundation
2006 Summer Grants Initiative Grant! The grant will be used for the
Trenton After School Program tutoring services and Summer REC
Program. As a result of Prudential's "Making the Most of Summer" full
day institute, the CYO recognized the growing need for more effective
summer learning programs, both to combat summer learning loss, &
encourage accelerated learning. All 150 campers in the 9 week
Summer REC Program participated, focusing on math, reading, and
art. Thanks again, Prudential!
V
,
YARDVILLE WINTER HOLIDAY CAMP
The Yardville CYO will once again run a three day Winter Holiday
Camp for students enrolled in grades K-5. The camp will take place
Wednesday, December 27 through Friday, December 29 from 7:30am
to 5:30pm. Field trip and lunch are provided each day for every
camper, as well as other special games and activities, including a New
Year's Eve Party. The cost of the camp is $135.00 for all three days
or $55.00 a day; hurry to register, spaces are limited. For more information contact the CYO Yardville at (609) 585-4280 x 103.
C
page 2
THE YARDVILLE PRESCHOOL
IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED
IN THE COMMUNITY!
As the third year for the Yardville CYO Preschool begins, the children
and teachers are ready to have a great year! Our school currently has three
four-year-old classrooms and one three-year-old class. Plus, our ten week
Parent & Me class! Hosting seventy-one children total. The Yardville CYO
Preschool is getting actively involved in the community this school year.
The preschoolers have already been involved in some fun, educational
activities. Groveville Fire House Fire Fighters visited with us and taught us
about ways to keep safe! Then the preschoolers took school buses to
Windsor Farm and enjoyed learning about farm life, growing crops, and
touching pumpkin vines. Most fun of all was picking pumpkins to take home!
Our community activities do not end there! The preschoolers are
going to be coloring pictures for Wendy's on Rt. 130 in Hamilton each holiday. Not to mention, the Preschool Family Night at Wendy's that will be
taking place at the beginning of December. Over the course of the school
year, we are going to be sending drawings and letters over to the troops
that are still overseas! Our four-year-old classes are going to visit the
Hamilton Library. During their visit they are going to take a tour of the
library and get library cards! In the Spring, the preschoolers will be going
back to Sayen Gardens to learn about ways to help take care of the Earth
and to observe the tree that
they planted last year! We
will also be traveling to a
local pet store in order to
learn about the animals that
share our neighborhoods
with us. The Yardville CYO
Preschool takes pride on its
"When We Grow Up" unit.
Representatives from a
local bank, Veterinarian
office, the post office, and
other local businesses will
visit our school and talk Yardville Pre-School students take a minute
about their occupations.
to pose for a picture during a recent field
This is going to be trip to Windsor Farms for Pumpkin picking
another great school year!
and a hayride.
YARDVILLE PRE-SCHOOL
EXPANDING
The Yardville Pre-School plans on opening a new, part-time 3 year old
classroom in January, 2007. The new class will operate on Tuesday and
Thursday mornings from 7:30am to 12:30pm. For more information on the
class contact us at (609) 585-4280.
GOLF CLASSIC RETURNINGSAVE THE DATE
This event, the 16th playing of the CYO Golf
Classic, will return Wednesday, September 27, 2007,
honoring Arthur Caola, as CYO Man of the Year. The Golf
Tournament will take place at Mountain View Golf Course in West
Trenton, and the dinner will follow at the new Mountain View Club
House! Art is a long time member of the CYO Board of Trustees
and a dedicated CYO supporter. Also, he was one of the founding members of the CYO Golf Classic Committee. For more
information on the Golf Classic or for sponsorship
information
contact
Patrick
Hardiman
at (609) 585-4280 x 102.
COOL SUMMER FUN IN THE CITY!
Campers of Cub Scout Pack 920 from the CYO Summer REC Camp
participate in The "Rain Gutter Regatta".
1ST ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL
The Mercer County CYO hosted its first annual Fall Festival on
October 1. We offered fun games for the children, face painting,
baked goods, and so much more. The families enjoyed shopping at
our Vendors Valley and trying their luck at our tricky tray basket raffle, where local businesses donated goodies and gift certificates.
Many families took a chance and entered in our 50/50 and the CYO
basket raffle that
offered $250 off your
tuition at the CYO.
Plans for next
year's Fall Festival are
already in progress. It
is tentatively scheduled for
Sunday,
September 30, 2007.
For more information
contact Kara DeBonis
at 609-585-4280.
Friends enjoying the Fall Festival.
Center, Yardville Pre-School student Noelle Muni picks the winning 50/50
ticket at the Fall Festival. To her left is a volunteer, Sergio Sencion, and to
her right is the Fall Festival Coordinator, Kara DeBonis.
page 3
SCHOLAR-ATHLETES
FEMALE & MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR /
COACH OF THE YEAR
At the Opening Day Basketball Mass on October 28th, the CYO recognized the 2005-06 Scholar Athlete Team. The recipients were selected
for their athletic success and participation as well as their academic
achievements during the 2005-06 school year. This year's recipients were:
Shannon Adubato (Trenton Catholic Academy), Emily Bamford (St. Paul's),
Nicholas Chiarello (St. Gregory's), Mike Constantini (St. Raphael's / Holy
Angels), Joseph Convery (St. Paul's), Christopher DeAngelo
(Incarnation/St. James), Brandon Dempster (Trenton Catholic Academy),
Alyssa Peroni (St. Raphael's / Holy Angels), Therese Ponella (OLS / St.
Anthony's), Amanda Repko (St. Gregory's) and Chelsea Totaro
(Incarnation/St. James).
In addition, the CYO also honored Dana Jeter (St. Raphael's / Holy
Angels) and Frantz Massanet (Incarnation/St.James) as the Female and
Male Athletes of the year for their athletic success during the 2005-06 season. Also,Karla Peroni from St. Raphael's / Holy Angels was honored as
the the Volunteer Coach of the Year. Congratuations to all of this year's
recipients!
BASKETBALL
The Mercer County CYO Basketball season started on
Saturday, October 28th. This year the CYO is celebrating its
54th year of providing basketball opportunities to the youth
in the greater Mercer County area. The season started
with the annual Opening Day Mass which was held at
the CYO Center. This year Father Tom Fesen from St.
Raphael's / Holy Angels celebrated Mass. This year
there are over 50 teams competing in the 5 leagues
(Girls Freshmen, Girls Junior Varsity, Boys Junior
Varsity, Girls Varsity and Boys Varsity Leagues) that the
CYO offers. Schools and parishes that are represented
in the CYO Basketball Leagues include: Incarnation / St.
James, OLS / St. Anthony's, St. Ann's, St. Anthony's of
Padua, St. Gregory's, St. Mary's of Bordentown, St. Paul's,
St. Raphael's / Holy Angels, Trenton Catholic Academy and
Villa Victoria. Stop by the CYO Center most Thursday and Friday
nights and Saturday and Sunday afternoons throughout the winter. For
schedule information, please contact the CYO at (609) 396-8383 x 14.
BASKETBALL HALL OF FAME
The class for the second CYO Basketball Hall of Fame has been finalized and the date is set! The CYO will be honoring 21 men and women on
Sunday, February 11, 2007 from 3:00pm - 8:00pm at Roman Hall
Restaurant in Trenton, as part of the second group to be inducted into its
prestigious Basketball Hall of Fame. With over 40,000 player graduates,
5,000 volunteer coaches, and 1,000 referees to come through the CYO
Basketball Program over the last 53 years, this class certainly comprises
some of the most talented basketball players and coaches in the history
of Mercer County.
The list of inductees for the 2007 class is as follows:
Coaches - *Rose Astore, Vince Lanzi, and Sandra Valenza-Oropel
Male Players - Art Bobik, Steve Brown, Bryan Caver, *Michael Fahey,
*Doug Hice, Tom Kaczor, Jack Madden, Brian Sakowski, Billy Schuler, and
Al Tezsla
Female Players - Shelly Walters-Dearden, Ann Ermi-DeMille, Beth ArderyFitzpatrick, Lauren Kokotajlo -Grace, Jen Hutchinson-Pioprowski, Jamie
McCormack, and Erin Walton
Referee - Nick Massari
* = Posthumously
For more information about the event including tickets and sponsorship contact Patrick Hardiman at the CYO Yardville at (609) 585-4280 x 102.
CYO BEGINS AFTER SCHOOL
PROGRAM AT FRANKLIN SCHOOL
After School Program services in Trenton have recently expanded to
include a program housed at Franklin Elementary School in Trenton.
Currently there are 31 children in the program with room for more. Each
day a special activity is planned along with homework and snack time.
Friday is movie and popcorn day! Additional information on this program
is available by contacting the CYO at 396-8383 ext. 13.
EVENING TEEN PROGRAM
The CYO Evening Teen Program started in mid-September. This year,
the Teen Program will run on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings between
the hours of 6:00 - 9:00 PM. The program is free and is open to teenagers
(13-17) who live in the City of Trenton. For more information regarding the
Teen Program, please call (609) 396-8383 x 14.
CHEERLEADING COMPETITION
Save the date! The CYO will be holding their Annual
CYO Cheerleading Competition on Saturday, February
10th. Doors open at 1:00 PM and the competition will
begin at 2:00 PM.
CROSS COUNTRY MEET ADDED
TO ATHLETIC CALENDAR
The First Annual CYO Cross Country meet was held on Saturday,
October 14th at Mercer County Park. The Meet attracted 28 participants
for 4 different divisions, from several Parishes across Mercer County, it
certainly looks to be a keeper on the Fall Athletic Calendar. The length of
the course was 1.5 miles and the top finishers for the meet were:
Girls Junior Varsity
Olivia Albanese
OLS / St. Anthony's
9:51
Boys Junior Varsity
Mark Maslanka
St. Paul's
8:36
Girls Varsity
Jordan Anderson
St. Paul's
8:24
Boys Varsity
Matt Calcagno
St. Greg's
8:07
NEW SOCCER LEAGUE AT YARDVILLE
A new fall soccer league at the Yardville CYO was recently just completed. The four team league, for 4 and 5 year olds, played a six game
schedule on Saturday mornings at the CYO Yardville soccer field. 24 of
the 48 participants in the league were comprised of students in the CYO
Pre-School, and the other half were members of the community. This
league, unlike the other athletic leagues that are run by the CYO is open
to the community with no Catholic Scool or Parish affiliation. A spring TeeBall league is being planned as well. For more information on the recently completed soccer league or for information about the Spring Tee-Ball
League, including sponsorship information, contact Dan Bossio at (609)
585-4280 x 112.
We would like to thank our Soccer League sponsors; The Flooring
Craftsmen; Nini Plumbing; Security Dynamics; and EMR Contracting.
Players chase the ball during action for the New CYO Yardville Soccer
League.
MERCER COUNTY CYO
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
President
Most Rev. John M. Smith
Vice-President/Treasurer
Sister Donna D’Alia
Secretary
Rev. Stanley Krzyston
Board Members
Louis Bruni, CPA
Arthur J. Caola
Donna Davidson
Michael Ehret
Lt. Edelmiro Gonzalez Jr.
Capt. Joseph S. Juniak
Scott A. Krasny, Esq.
Sandra Valenza Oropel
Maurice Whetstone
MERCER COUNTY CYO
FULL TIME STAFF LISTING
Executive Director
Thomas G. Mladenetz, M.Ed.
Director of Youth Services
Kevin Walsh
Yardville Branch Director
Patrick M. Hardiman
Administrative Director
Donna Zolnierzak
Athletic Director/Teen Program Director
Quincy Walzer
Administrative Asst./Financial Services
Kathy Schroeder
Family Workers
Carmen Davila
Gloribee Pica
Program Assistant
Mary Kondash
Grant Writer
Nancy Podeszwa
NEW SCOREBOARDS ADDED TO GYMNASIUM
A tremendous upgrade was recently done to the gymnasium, as two, state of the art,
wireless scoreboards were installed. A much needed addition, as the previous scoreboards had
a combined 40 years of use to them. With all of the basketball games played year round at 920
South Broad Street this purchase was certainly worthwhile. The CYO raised $8,400.00 for the
purchase of the scoreboards, and is very grateful to the generous donors for their support. The
following is a list of the donors:
St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church
Bobby V's Auto Body
Robert Myers
Roma Bank
Anita Peterman Memorial Foundation
Domanski Plumbing, Heating, Cooling Inc.
Prior Nami Business Systems
Pennacchi & Sons
St. Vincent DePaul Church
Bollwage Family
Monsignor Leonard Toomey
John Clancy
Notre Dame High School
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Novembre
Security Dynamics
St. Raphael's - Holy Angels
Leco Laboratory
Robert Bucchi
Church of the Blessed Sacrament/Our Lady of the
Mr. & Mrs. John Hardiman
Mr. & Mrs. George Mladenetz
In Loving Memory of Michael Fahey
Mr. & Mrs. Carl Thiel
David J. Potash
Church of St. Gregory the Great
Mr. & Mrs. Joseph F. Dreyer
Century Group
VJ Scozzari & Sons, Inc.
Mr. & Mrs. James Wyrough
Incarnation Church
Our Lady of Sorrows - St. Anthony's Parish
The Podeszwa Family
IAABO Board # 193
Rudolph A. Palombi, Sr.
Mr. & Mrs. Edelmiro Gonzalez
St. Paul's Catholic Church
Divine Sheperd
Yardville Pre-School Staff
Kara DeBonis (Head Teacher/Supervisor)
Ericka Baggott
Katie Matthews
Carol Blanche
Lisa Pané
Melissa Evert
Jackie Schnorrbusch
Trenton Pre-School Staff
Griselle DeJesus (Teacher) Dessie Smith (Teacher)
Cynthia Teel (Teacher)
Nikki Hornyak (Teacher)
Lorri Jewett (Teacher)
Pamela Burdsall (Teacher)
Ingrid Garcia
Hippolita Lopez
Michelle Lanning
Nadia Rowe
Josie Leon
Jerilyn Tykarski
From left to right Quincy Walzer, Athletic Director and Tom Mladenetz, Executive Director show the
plaque which lists the names of all of the donors for the new scoreboard.
Mercer County CYO
Yardville Branch
920 South Broad Street
453 Yardville-Allentown Rd.
Trenton, New Jersey 08611 Yardville, New Jersey 08620
(609) 396-8383
(609) 585-4280
NON PROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
TRENTON, NJ
PERMIT NO. 91